Reengineering the Philippine education system

The First Biennial Education Congress held at the Manila Hotel from January 31 to February 1 was concluded last week with a positive note. Directions were set towards the improvement of the entire educational system to enhance national development and global competitiveness. The Congress was the first of two education summits to be held this year. It was attended by some 400 education stakeholders, including representatives from major education bodies such as the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Department of Education (DepEd), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Coordinating Council for Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA), Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) with selected mayors as well as public elementary and high school teachers.

The Congress is in line with the programs set forth by the newly constituted Presidential Task Force on Education under presidential appointee, Ateneo de Manila University’s chairman and president Fr. Bienvenido Nebres S.J. with members DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus, CHED Chairman Romulo Neri, TESDA Director-General Augusto Syjuco. The Task Force also includes representatives from the private sector Angeles University president Emmanuel Angeles, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Donald Dee, Asian Institute of Management Prof. Victor Limlingan and former University of the Philippines president Jose Abueva. We congratulate the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for being able to bring together the brightest minds, reputable leaders in the field of education representing all sectors known as trailblazers for innovative and positive change that can now benefit the long-besieged education sector. CHED Chairman  Romulo Neri’s expertise in reengineering is now complemented by the expertise and guidance of educators and business leaders who have success stories and unique experiences that can be emulated to sustain development measures in education. We are glad that the CyberEd project previously beset by controversies on alleged kickbacks, will now be implemented with more transparency under the leadership of education stalwart Fr. Nebres.

The whole strategy as we see it, is approached on three levels — the students, the teachers and the school or educational institution. One of the strategic plans of the Presidential Task Force is to evaluate the whole educational sequence from kindergarten to college to see whether education and literacy objectives are being met. Hence, a series of National Achievement Tests (NATs) are immediately scheduled in March this year to determine the competency levels of Grade 3, Grade 6 and 2nd year high school students. Teacher training and development is also being prioritized to upgrade teaching capabilities. Non-accredited private educational institutions will also be subjected to institutional quality assurance monitoring and evaluation in order to raise their standards of education, benchmarking on the excellent programs of accredited schools.

Reengineering the whole educational system is a big challenge, and we are glad that the people at the helm of this new task force are capable and able. We call on the local officials, especially the mayors and the barangay leaders to provide them the necessary support in the communities. Let’s hope for significant changes this time.